Thomson Media Firms to Merge: International Thomson...

Thomson Media Firms to Merge: International Thomson Organization Ltd. and Thomson Newspapers Ltd., two Canadian media companies controlled by the Thomson family of Toronto, said they will combine to form Thomson Corp. Under the merger, which will create a media giant with annual revenue of $4.7 billion, Thomson Newspapers shareholders will receive shares of Thomson Corp. and International Thomson holders will continue as holders of the new group. Thomson Newspapers publishes 40 daily and 12 weekly newspapers in Canada, and 116 daily and 24 weekly papers in the United States. It also owns 50% of the Augusta Newsprint Co. International Thomson is a global information/publishing company with large operations in North America and Britain.